Kurtis Rourke Off To Good Start; Challenge Increases With Trip To UCLA

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke led a record-setting performance from Indiana’s offense on Friday against Western Illinois. But with Big Ten play beginning this week at UCLA, coach Curt Cignetti said Indiana will be tested in a way it has not been so far.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) looks to pass the ball as offensive linemen Trey Wedig (75) and Bray Lynch (74) block against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kurtis Rourke’s second game as Indiana’s quarterback didn’t last long, in a good way.  Seven drives, seven touchdowns, and that was it.

He played 44 of Indiana’s 70 offensive snaps, then rested after the first drive of the third quarter of a 77-3 win over Western Illinois on Friday at Memorial Stadium. Going into the game, Rourke wanted to find a rhythm, get a better feel for the game’s timing and sustain the success he had in Week 1 against Florida International for longer stretches. 

The result was a near-flawless performance for the Ohio University transfer. Rourke completed 15 of 17 pass attempts for 268 yards and two touchdowns. And for the second straight week, no turnovers. 

He rattled off nine completions in a row after missing his first attempt, and showed off his long-range passing chops – at least more so than Week 1 – with touchdowns of 38 and 71 yards. Rourke received a 92.6 grade for offense, which ranked sixth nationally among quarterbacks in Week 2 by Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Overall, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti liked what he saw from Rourke and the offense, which set school records with 77 points and 701 total yards.

“I think Kurtis had the opportunity to make his drops, make his reads, and deliver the ball, which he didn't always have that opportunity in the first game,” Cignetti said Monday. “I thought our protection, we cleaned that up significantly. If you want a good quarterback, you've got to have protection. We separated on the outside, and [Rourke] delivered the ball, and he played well. Wasn't perfect, but he played well.” 

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) throws against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana allowed two sacks in the season opener against FIU, and Rourke had to scramble away from the pass rush multiple times. Cignetti saw improvement from the offensive line against Western Illinois, which finished with zero sacks and just one quarterback hit. Four Indiana starting offensive linemen had pass-blocking grades above 81, and two had run-blocking grades above 84, according to PFF. He also liked that Indiana trimmed nine penalties to two.

“I think those guys are working hard, and they're developing,” Cignetti said. “I don't know that we were really tested last week, and against Florida International, we ran the ball well. Wasn't real pleased with some of the protection issues we had. We'll be tested this week like we have not been tested.”

A dominant start from Rourke and the offense provided opportunity for three additional Indiana quarterbacks against Western Illinois. Redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson entered with 4:48 left in the third quarter, and he quickly led the Hoosiers on two touchdown drives.

Jackson, who played in six games with five starts last season, completed passes of 23 and 12 yards on his first two attempts, then finished the drive tiptoeing the sideline for a 13-yard rushing touchdown. A 69-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. on the next drive signaled the end of Jackson’s night. He went 3 for 3 with 104 yards, a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown.

True freshmen Alberto Mendoza and Tyler Cherry were next, though Indiana attempted just one pass – a six-yard completion from Mendoza to Brady Simmons – across 17 total snaps with them. 

“What I really liked was you could see kind of the cohesiveness of the team on both sides, guys cheering each other on, congratulating each other, him taking charge. It was great to get a lot of guys involved,” Cignetti said. “Tayven came in. I thought he played nicely, delivered the ball, ran it, too. So he should feel good about his outing coming out of that game.”

Moving forward, things won’t be as easy for Indiana on Saturday at UCLA as they were against Western Illinois, an FCS opponent. UCLA is 1-0 with a 16-13 win at Hawaii, and it had a bye week to prepare for the Hoosiers.

Indiana having two games under its belt is beneficial from a team development standpoint, Cignetti said, but UCLA will have more relevant film of Indiana than the Hoosiers have of the Bruins. 

UCLA is in its first season under head coach DeShaun Foster, who promoted Ikaika Malloe from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Malloe said during spring practice that “we’re going to keep the package the same,” referring to UCLA’s defensive scheme.

While faces are different, Cignetti expects UCLA’s defense to be schematically similar to last season but with more pressure, perhaps. UCLA allowed 274 total yards to Hawaii, including just 1.8 yards per rush. The Bruins also came away with two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Linebacker Kain Medrano led UCLA with seven tackles and a forced fumble, and the Bruins totaled five sacks.

Indiana has used all of UCLA’s 2023 games to prepare for Saturday’s matchup. Cignetti called UCLA defensive lineman Jay Toia “a big guy with explosion.” Toia has started 24 games over the last two seasons, and in 2023 he totaled 28 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack while leading the defensive line in total snaps. Cignetti also said UCLA’s linebackers are very athletic.

“What I would say about them overall is a lot of really good athletes, a lot of pretty guys, really good team speed,” Cignetti said.

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